LA CROSSE, Wisc. – Three TCNJ wrestlers cemented themselves as All-Americans and one remained firmly in the hunt for an individual national championship as the Lions put together a sterling performance on the first day of the NCAA Championships on Friday.
 
Nick Sacco advanced to the semifinals at 165 pounds, while Mike Conklin and Peter Wersinger each won a pair of consolation bouts to stay alive for another day and officially lock up a place and All-America status. The fourth Lion representative, freshman Matthew Griffin, came up one match shy of making it an All-American quartet.

TCNJ accrued 25 team points on Friday, good for a tie for eighth place overall. 

NICK SACCO (165 POUNDS)

• The No. 2 seed, Sacco wasted no time getting on top of his first-round matchup, taking down Ohio Northern's Teagan Hendricks in just 12 seconds and racking up over two minutes of riding time before Hendricks escaped. Even still, he left himself enough time for a second takedown and a 6-1 lead after one. Starting the second period on top, Sacco tacked on four near-fall points and rode out the entire stanza. A takedown late in the third gave him over five minutes of riding time and a 14-2 major decision.
• Against North Central's Alex Villar in the quarterfinals, Sacco never let his opponent gain a foothold. After a scoreless first, he broke the deadlock with an escape, then stayed on top of Villar the entire third period to secure a 2-0 victory and an All-America certificate for the second year in a row
• Sacco will meet Coe's Will Esmoil, the No. 6 seed, in the semifinals

MIKE CONKLIN (149)

• Conklin held his own early against Baldwin Wallace's Michael Petrella, the reigning national champion and No. 1 seed who entered with a perfect 38-0 record (109-4 for his career) and all but four of those wins coming with bonus points. Conklin battled Petrella to a scoreless first period and started the second on bottom, but was unable to escape until 2 seconds remained in the frame, and not before Petrella notched a four-point near fall. Petrella escaped to start the third and added two more takedowns en route to a 12-2 major decision.
• Conklin emerged from a titanic tilt with W&L's Evan Lindner, claiming a 2-1 victory with an escape in overtime
• With All-America honors on the line, Conklin had a much easier time, pinning No. 7 seed Taylor Smith of Washington and Jefferson in the closing seconds of the second period
• Conklin will take on Loras' Eric Kinkaid in his first match on Saturday

PETER WERSINGER (285)

• Wersinger conceded a 4-1 decision to sixth-seeded Donovan King of Olivet, who used a second-period takedown to go in front
• Wersinger stayed alive in dramatic fashion, falling behind Averett's Trent Ragland with 10 seconds left on a second stalling call. Desperation mode set in and the veteran managed to get on top of Ragland for a takedown with 2 seconds remaining to clinch a thrilling 5-2 victory
• He needed no such heroics in the do-or-die bout, racking up two takedowns in the first period and three overall en route to a 12-3 major decision against No. 5 seed Doug Byrne of Baldwin Wallace
• Wersinger meets No. 1 seed Carl DiGiorgio of Coast Guard in his first Saturday bout

MATTHEW GRIFFIN (125)

• Bidding for an upset of fifth-seeded Jalen Dunson of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Griffin took an early 3-0 lead with a first-period takedown. Dunson escaped to get on the board and to start the second period, then grabbed the upper hand on a takedown with 27 seconds left in the period. Griffin managed to escape just before the end of the period to get within 5-4, but was unable to get the takedown he needed in the third as Dunson escaped with the one-point decision.
• Griffin dominated Elizabethtown's Ethan Liptzin in his first consolation bout, racking up four near-fall points before pinning his foe in the first period. The rookie then advanced via medical forfeit to a tilt with Roanoke's Mac Cafurello, who secured a 5-2 decision

NOTES

• Sacco (2023) and Conklin (2022) are both All-Americans for the second time, while Wersinger notched his first such honor
• Wersinger is TCNJ's first All-American heavyweight since Anthony Casciano in 2001
• Sacco will attempt to become TCNJ's first national champion since Ryan Budzek (149) in 2019

UP NEXT

• Conklin, Sacco, and Wersinger will continue competition at the NCAA Championship at 11 a.m. Saturday